The concept of big data formerly existed only in the realm of information techies. Now, however, due especially to the NSA’s collection of telephone records, it has entered mainstream discussion. It isn’t clear, however, how well it is understood by many who are tossing around the term, and that lack of understanding is causing some to equate big data with big brother.

Big data refers to the capacity to collect, store, analyze, manage and transmit typically large volumes of different kinds of information at high speeds. The private sector has long used big data to find trends and turn them into profits. It determines what type of junk mail you receive, the suggested reading list on your Kindle, and the focusing of your internet searches. It has helped research medical breakthroughs, design products and services, streamline business processes, and determine optimum inventory levels.

Increasingly, governments are expanding their big data capabilities. They too want to put to new uses the large amounts of data they can both generate and collect from multiple sources and in multiple formats.

Recent controversies should not lead to immediate denunciation of governments’ use of big data, because it can accomplish much good. According to a recent national survey by GovLoop, governments’ top uses for big data are: budget and finance, communications and public affairs, and health and human services management. In the State Auditor’s office, it is also used for assessing the performance of state agencies and detecting abuse and fraud.

Big data itself is a neutral concept, but it holds the potential for big benefits for government and for taxpayers. Its embrace should be regarded as a positive development, because being able to integrate multiple data sets enhances the ability of government administrators and the public to understand the impacts of laws that are passed and the dynamics of service need and delivery. Big data is being used to make public health programs more effective, repair roads more quickly, and make emergency response faster.

When you understand what big data is, you can easily differentiate it from concerns about government “snooping” or gaining access without permission or notice to personal information. That is an important public discussion, but it is distinct from the question of whether we should improve our use data in managing public resources.

For my office, there should be no turning back. Identifying fraud within the billions of dollars spent on public assistance on case by case basis will get you nowhere fast. But new technology allows us to sift through all of the spending and to identify patterns outside the norm. Bringing in information from other systems provides more penetrating insight and lets us focus our time and energies most productively and meaningfully.

The challenge for all government agencies is to establish clear goals and understand how best their data can be leveraged to achieve those goals. So while the debate continues on what personal information the government should be allowed to collect, progress must not stop on developing big ways to use data.